The Lemon Index$1,800 middle bill · most between $1,500 and $2,200
Lower than the $2,500 middle bill owners of all 49 models reported.
Owners who gave their mileage: a middle of 112,000 miles (21 reports).
Subaru Outback owners reported paying a median of $1,800 for a torque converter replacement, with the middle half of bills between $1,500 and $2,200. That's from 25 owner reports (25 complaints to NHTSA). Costs vary by shop and region.
What owners paid
- Under $5000%
- $500–$1,0000%
- $1,000–$2,50084%
- $2,500–$5,00012%
- $5,000 and up4%
Share of the 25 owner reports in each price band.
By model year
- 2010 Subaru Outback5$1,800 middle bill
- 2011 Subaru Outback14$1,900 middle bill
- 2012 Subaru Outback6$1,800 middle bill
Reports per model year, with the middle bill where there are 3 or more. YouTube amounts count for the generation the video covers.
How often owners report the failure
- 2011 Subaru Outback121 complaints name it19% of that year's complaints
- 2012 Subaru Outback42 complaints name it14% of that year's complaints
- 2010 Subaru Outback31 complaints name it9% of that year's complaints
Owner complaints to NHTSA whose own words name a torque converter. Raw counts: popular years get more complaints. A complaint is a report, not proof of a defect.
Engine codes that can lead here: P0741 P0740. A code is where a shop starts, not proof the part failed.
Keep going
- Subaru Outback reliability by year
- Torque converter replacement cost on every car
- Car symptoms and what they can mean
Other repairs Subaru Outback owners reported
Transmission replacement (19) · Car battery replacement (18) · Head gasket replacement (12) · Radio and infotainment screen repair (7) · Brake repair (6) · Wiring harness repair (6) · Clutch replacement (5)
The details
How we count
Every number here is a repair bill an owner reported, never a shop's price list. Two sources: the bills owners wrote in their own complaints to the U.S. government (NHTSA), and the dollar amounts owners said out loud in YouTube repair and ownership videos. A figure counts for a repair when that repair is the part named nearest to it. Left out: purchase prices, payments, rentals, towing, warranties and deductibles, amounts under $50 or over $15,000, parts-only prices ("the part was $80 on Amazon"), bills for two different repairs named together, and money someone else paid. One number per complaint (or video) and repair: the biggest, so it's the bill, not the diagnosis fee.
The range is the middle half of the bills (the 25th to the 75th percentile), so one wild number can't swing it. Owners who complain to the government often had expensive repairs, so a typical bill can be lower. Costs vary by shop and region, by dealer vs independent shop, by parts and by miles. This is what owners reported, not a quote for your car.
Check the bills yourself
NHTSA complaint numbers (search them at nhtsa.gov): 11636313, 11458413, 11436475, 11307924, 11298557, 11298468, 11296759, 11291483, 11268760, 11257449, 11187490, 11183068 and more.
Quick answers
How much does torque converter replacement cost on a Subaru Outback?
Subaru Outback owners reported a median of $1,800, and the middle half paid $1,500 to $2,200, from 25 owner reports. Costs vary by shop and region.
Is a Subaru Outback torque converter replacement more expensive than on other cars?
The Subaru Outback middle bill of $1,800 is lower than the $2,500 owners of all 49 models we have reports for paid.
Where do these Subaru Outback repair costs come from?
From 25 complaints to NHTSA: what owners themselves said they paid. They aren't verified bills or a shop's quote.
Which Subaru Outback years report this failure most?
In complaints to NHTSA, owners of the 2011 (121), 2012 (42), 2010 (31) Subaru Outback named it most. Raw counts, not a failure rate.
Sources: NHTSA owner complaints and YouTube videos (amounts said out loud), sorted by The Lemon Index. Owner reports, not a price quote. Costs vary by shop and region.